I was born and raised on Oahu, so Hawaiian music was always a part of my life and I more or less took for granted.

I never really appreciated it until, as an Army Reservist in the 1990's, I volunteered for kitchen duty at Schofield Barracks in Wahiawa. The cooks and the K.P. volunteers had to wake up before the rest of the company to make breakfast for the troops, so I spent considerable time in a field kitchen with the predawn darkness all around.

The cooks controlled the kitchen radio, which was always tuned to Hawaiian105 KINE; that suited everyone just fine. There could be nothing sweeter than the gentle, familiar strains of contemporary Hawaiian music flowing over me as I washed dishes and peeled potatoes while the sun came up and the camp slowly came to life.

The song selections always seemed so appropriate to the hour, transitioning from mellow to lively as the morning grew brighter; it was the best kind of wake-up call for the sleepy soldiers. It also confirmed what I should have known all along: I was lucky to live in such a special place.

Camille N.